"To those who may be encountering Louisiana for the first time through these wonderful stories-prepare to be engaged and entertained to a degree to which you are certainly unaccustomed . . . Barbara's gift for storytelling holds in the written word just as it does before a television camera."-Phillip J. Jones, former secretary, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism "A personal, anecdotal narrative that paints events with evocative descriptions . . . best savored in slices-it serves up a great bedtime read."-New Orleans Times-Picayune Based on the PBS documentary of the same name that aired across the country, The Haunting of Louisiana highlights many of the stories that would not fit into the one-hour television program. Louisiana's haunted reputation is spotlighted in the twenty chapters that cover the ghostly escapades and happenings at Oak Alley Plantation, Ormond Plantation, Destrehan Manor, and America's "most haunted home," the Myrtles, in St. Francisville, to name a few. The book also includes behind-the-scenes incidents that occurred during the taping of the documentary. Who is the lady in the photograph whose mirrored reflection appears headless in a bedroom in Oak Alley Plantation? Why are little girls the only tour visitors to experience the taunting of Chloe, a slave and mistress of the owner of the Myrtles in the 1800s? Whose invisible hand had to be repeatedly pushed away from the owner's car horn at Chretien Point Plantation before the owner could get a good night's rest? The spine-tingling explanations for these events and many others are just waiting to be discovered.

Ghosts of Good Times: South Louisiana Dance Halls Past and Present examines a world of Cajun dance halls, Zydeco clubs, Chitlin' Circuit R&B night clubs, Swamp-Pop Honkytonks and other venues that at one time were prevalent throughout the region. Photographs by Philip Gould blend architectural imagery of buildings still standing with historic photographs of the clubs that he took in their heyday. Herman Fuselier and other writers provide a rich selection of historic accounts and essays about their personal experiences in the clubs. The book also examines the dance hall scene today and how the venues have changed. The music following remains strong and people still come to dance. The surviving old dance halls and newer venues are still in full swing. Old or new, they are icons, a proud south Louisiana legacy of Good Times.

In Louisiana, disbelief in ghosts is not an option. Some of the best-known hauntings in the country are the unsettled spirits that have roamed the bustling French Quarter of New Orleans since its early days. But while the Crescent City teems with historic paranormal characters, the rest of Louisiana is also rife with intriguing and eerie ghost stories. Come explore the Pelican State and uncover its historic supernatural stars: * The ghost of an old woman killed in a car accident returns to her Baton Rouge home to comfort her grieving family. * A young girl's spirit haunts several generations of a family in New Orleans' Garden District. * A mysterious foreigner known only as ''the Sultan'' is massacred along with his servants, forever shrouding his French Quarter dwelling in the mysterious legend of his demise. * Visitors and staff at Oak Alley Plantation, St. James Parish, regularly encounter strange sights and frightening sounds. * Myriad spirits roam the rooms and halls of Myrtles Plantation of St. Francisville, already famous for the eerie tales from its past. * In life, Marie Laveau was undisputed voodoo queen of New Orleans; in death, she still imbues the city with dark magic. * And many more...

New Orleans claims to be the most haunted place in America, and the Crescent City has the stories to back it up. Louisiana Ghost Stories II: Lagniappe is the second riveting collection from acclaimed author Jesse Wimberly. These ten tales of the macabre are set in and around New Orleans and are guaranteed to frighten and enlighten. Go down to the crossroads on a moonless night and meet Old Scratch. Eavesdrop in Pirate’s Alley when Jean Lafitte reveals the location of his hidden treasure. Venture into the asylum or the heart of Mardi Gras as Inspector Sterling investigates brutal murders in the city. Get lost with two brothers on a flatboat in the swamp when they meet The Mossgatherer. Rooted in actual events that have taken place over the years, these stories of the supernatural and occult will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this collection will challenge even the bravest of readers.

Discover this Cajun and Creole city where ghost stories abound . . . photos included! The Hub City boasts a multitude of spirits and specters, from those lost in Civil War skirmishes and fever outbreaks to those souls that simply can’t say goodbye. Today, they wander the halls of bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants and linger along back roads and cemeteries. Pirates are rumored to guard buried treasure, and ancient French legends hide in the swamps, bayous, and woods. Join journalist and ghost seeker Cheré Dastugue Coen as she visits Lafayette’s haunted sites and travels the countryside in search of ghostly legends found only in South Louisiana.

Louisiana is a place of legend, especially in the deep, dark bayou. Visit the swamps, and smell the usual combination of decaying vegetation and sluggish water. You might sense another smell, too--one you can't identify but seems distinct. It could be more of a feeling than an odor. That feeling is fear, and it spreads past the bayou and into the heart of New Orleans. Louisiana Ghost Stories is a collection of original tales based on fact mixed with myth. A place of legend, the state is also a place of storytelling, and many of those stories grow like thick vines in the memories of locals and visitors alike. Step into the haunted plantations. Hear about voodoo and gris gris. Examine pirate legends, and follow ghosts into the dark. Come face to face with the Cajun werewolf, known as the "loup garou." Hear of the heinous offenses of infamous serial killer, the Axeman. Learn the horrid history of the LaLaurie mansion, and even stumble upon a tale of Hallow's Eve. With stories eerie, mysterious, sexy, and colorful, prepare yourself to be scared as legends come to life and haunt the page.

Learn about the ghosts that haunt Louisiana’s capital city in this collection of spooky stories and photos . . . With yellow fever, Civil War battles, murders, and tragic accidents staining its history, it is no wonder that Baton Rouge is rife with tales of ghostly visitors. Highland Road has had so many reports of Civil War soldier sightings that the local police department sent out an officer to track one down. Spirits crowd about in the stately grounds of the Magnolia Mound and Old Cottage Plantations, the Old State Capitol building and the new, and even the USS Kidd. Unlikely spots like the Guaranty Income Life and Broadcast Building have plenty of hair-raising stories of their own; the cafeteria used to be a morgue. Now you can explore the Red Stick’s eerie past with paranormal investigator Bud Steed—as he uncovers the city’s most chilling tales.

“He struck a match to look at his watch. In the flare of the light they saw a young woman just at Pitot’s elbow—a young woman dressed all in black, with pale gold hair, and a baby sleeping on her shoulder. She glided to the edge of the bridge and stepped noiselessly off into the black waters.”—from Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans Ghosts are said to wander along the rooftops above New Orleans’ Royal Street, the dead allegedly sing sacred songs in St. Louis Cathedral, and the graveyard tomb of a wealthy madam reportedly glows bright red at night. Local lore about such supernatural sightings, as curated by Jeanne deLavigne in her classic Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans, finds the phantoms of bitter lovers, vengeful slaves, and menacing gypsies haunting nearly every corner of the city, from the streets of the French Quarter to Garden District mansions. Originally printed in 1944, all forty ghost stories and the macabre etchings of New Orleans artist Charles Richards appear in this new edition. Drawing largely on popular legend dating back to the 1800s, deLavigne provides vivid details of old New Orleans with a cast of spirits that represent the ethnic mélange of the city set amid period homes, historic neighborhoods, and forgotten taverns. Combining folklore, newspaper accounts, and deLavigne’s own voice, these phantasmal tales range from the tragic—brothers, lost at sea as children, haunt a chapel on Thomas Street in search of their mother—to graphic depictions of torture, mutilation, and death. Folklorist and foreword contributor Frank A. de Caro places the writer and her work in context for modern readers. He uncovers new information about deLavigne’s life and describes her book’s pervasive lingering influence on the Crescent City’s culture today.

Take a guided tour of Louisiana's haunted history as you visit spirited hotels, homes, cemeteries, and bus stops. Shiver at paranormal tales told in New Orleans, such as the Devil Baby of Bourbon Street, who was so ugly that people were afraid to be near it; Violette, the Zombie Child, brought back to life using Voodoo by unknowing parents; and Madame Delphine LaLaurie, whose mean demeanor sent a servant to an untimely death. Explore other state haunts including plantation homes, colleges, prisons, and historic landmarks. Meet Marie Laveau, the Voodoo queen whose spirit still walks among the tombstones at Saint Louis Cemetery Number One. Follow the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a carnivorous, 400-pound aquatic-humanoid, the red-eyed Loup Graou creature, Grunches, and lizard-goats that will make you think twice before going into the swamps alone. Louisiana haunts await you, if you're brave enough to wander in...